Working Title
by ClaryRoss
Summary: A story about love, attachment and mental health. (I'm going for a This is Us kinda vibe, Edward and other characters will be here soon enough.)
1. Chapter 1

My mom has always been my hero, my rock. From the moment I was born, I became her entire world. (what got me on my writing track for this story)

_September 13th 1995 Forks Community Hospital _

Renee's labour had been brutal, the epidural didn't take, and it dragged on for 30 hours. 30 hours of sitting in a hospital bed with the worst pains she'd ever felt, 30 hours of no food save for the ice chips her husband was allowed to bring her, and 30 hours of her husband, doing his best to not look too bored while she lay there in near agony and not-so-sneakily eat snacks from the vending machine down the hall. But now, sometime past 9am that morning, everything was perfect.

She lay on her side, her room finally vacated of nurses and her husband, and stared at her baby. Bella laid quietly, her head inclined toward her, her muddy blue eyes that she guessed would go dark, looked back at her wide, and almost curious. Her stare was deep, a lifetime of wants and desires lurking somewhere in their depths. She felt almost disconnected from her body and all its aches, all she could feel was this intense pull, a big swooping feeling that made her feel invincible and close to terrified. She'd jump in front of a train to save her, slit her wrists from the elbow and bleed out, take on any disease, any hardship, anything. This tiny little girl, who she hadn't even known an hour, was everything.

She reached a hand up, gently resting it against her babies chest, "Hello Bella," she said quietly, "I love you more than I could ever explain."

* * *

_December 4th 2018, Forks Community Hospital_

She sat in the waiting area, her right leg bouncing up and down unsteadily. The room felt too bright, and she had this strange aching throughout her body, sweat collecting on her upper lip too quick and continuous to bother wiping it.

"Miss Swan?" Her head shot up, a doctor stood before her, ashy, tired skin and a grim mouth.

"Yes?" He took a deep breath, then took a seat in the empty chair beside her. He smoothed down his thinning black hair, and gave her a small, sad smile.

"I'm afraid I have some difficult news, your mother, Renee, went into cardiac arrest during the procedure...complications...internal bleeding... tried everything.." His words faded in and out. She felt this hollow, horrible feeling, a block of ice in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure if her was still talking anymore, she knew. She knew the second she sat down in this chair. This was the end.

* * *

Super rough beginnings, I've got an idea where I'm going though, let me know what you think if you care to!


	2. Chapter 2

My mom has always been my hero, my rock. From the moment I was born, I became her entire world. (what got me on my writing track for this story)

* * *

_March 5th 2010, Port Angeles _

"Oh my god, you won't believe what happened at work today." Bella's mother said, already laughing a little at her own story as her daughter opened the car door and hopped into the passenger seat.

"What?" She laughed, buckling her seat belt and settling her backpack between her legs. Her mother eased backwards down thier gravel drive as she launched into her story.

"So last week, Jason was out sick for a few days." She made a right turn.

"Okay," Bella murmured, flipping through CD's for a good one.

"So he came back on Wednesday, with this, back scratcher thing."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you know the ones, with the long handle and the sort of rounded pegs," She lifted her arm up and back a little awkwardly, especially while driving, to mime back scratching.

"Ohh go on," Bella answered, settling on a well loved Fleetwood mac album.

"Okay so, having an itchy back, totally fine. Owning a back scratcher, also fine. Bringing it into the office? Debatable. Walking up and down the halls scratching your back?"

"I'd venture a guess of, not fine?"

"No! Not fine! But I could have handled that alone,"

"Oh god," Bella groaned, rolling her eyes playfully.

"Would you like to guess what he was out sick with?"

"By your tone I'm guessing no,"

"SHINGLES!" she yelled out. "So not only was he walking all round the office, including the kitchen, sprinkling around his dead skin, but it was dead SHINGLE SKIN!"

"I don't think it's airborne like that Mom." Bella said between laughs.

"But it's just not cool! I'm not saying I want him to be ashamed of himself, but I also think a decent person should feel a little bit of shame about walking around your coworkers purposefully and very obviously scratching at your infection. Who does that?" she sighed, exasperated.

"If his back was still that itchy he could have just done it in the bathroom,"

"That's what I said! I even conceded to letting him do it discretely at his desk."

"Big of you." Bella smiled.

"He was just so obnoxious about it." Renee said quieter, shaking her head to herself.

"You're right though, that breaks some unspoken social norm, no one can really say what it is or why, but it's just.. not done."

"It's just not done!" Renee agreed brightly, "Ugh, I love you, how was school?"

"This girl Meghan in my homeroom brought in one of those metal head massagers to scratch her scalp psoriasis."

"Well that's just not done." she answered, smirking a little.

"Just not done."


End file.
